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The Maldives

History

For Maldivians, who love a good story, it is somehow fitting that the early history of the country is enshrined in myth and legend. There is the story of the Rannamaari, a tale about a sea monster than demands a virgin sacrifice every full moon, until a brave man from Morocco, Mr Abdul Barakaath-Ul Barbary decides to confront the monster and prohibit him from coming into the Maldives.

There is the story of Bodu Thakurufaanu, renowned for its length, who saved the Maldives from Portuguese Invaders. These stories, while verymuch anecdotal, are based on the real facts that form the history of the country. Written accounts portray a Maldives whose people have traveled far and wide, adventurers whose geographical isolation had not limited the boundaries of their world. Maldives today remains very much like it had then – small, but not lacking;isolated, but not invisible.

1st Century AD - The Roman manual of Navigation, the Periplus Maris Erythraei mentions islands that are assumed to be theMaldives

2nd Century AD - Ptolemy refers to the Maldives in his geography 362 AD Roman historian records a visit of a Maldivian delegation to Rome, bearing gifts to emperor Julian 662 AD A historical Chinese document records that the King of the Maldives sent gifts to the Chinese Emperor Kao-Tsung of Tang Dynasty

1153 - Maldives converts to Islam

1558 - The Portuguese invade the Maldives

1573 - Mohamed Thakurufaanu liberates the Maldives from the Portuguese

1752 - The Malabars invade the Maldives for three months

1887 - Protectorate signed with Great Britain

1932 - The first Constitution of the Republic of Maldives enacted

1953 - The first Republic with Mohamed Ameen as President

1954 - End of the first Republic as Ameen is ousted; the Maldives reverts to Sultanate with Mohamed Fareed as ruler

1965 - Independence from the British

1968 - End of the Sultanate; second Republic begins with Ibrahim Nasir as President

1972 - The first island resort is developed; tourists begin arriving to the Maldives